Passage 45
Timothy Vaughn paced the deliberation room. James sat there cuffed as he slouched in his chair. The thoughts that went through his head was nerve racking. This case was more complicated then he imagined. He looked at his client laying back like not a care in the world . This man knew more than he was letting on and he felt like he was withholding on purpose just to have a reaction for his own sick little amusement.
Timothy Vaughn had come across many cases and murder cases was his specialty with all the years him serving as a special ops unit overseas . His method of extraction of information was less than human . He became a lawyer after he retired out of his unit to deal with his demons that plagued him from the nightmares of wars he constantly saw as a reminder of his deeds.
Timothy thought the lawyer approach would keep him in the same field without having to engage in the field like an officer would have to in a persuit. But now as he stared at James he felt like he was in the field again interigating a prisoner of war for delicate and time sensitive information. James was pushing his buttons and he felt himself slipping back into old methods with him.
Timothy took a deep breath as he tried to remind himself he doesn't have to live like that anymore. That the war was over and the troops returned home safely. He suffered from time to time with reoccurring memories every once in a while when he saw something that was similar to real life experiences.
" Ok who is the woman they found buried in the complex garden?" Stated Timothy.
" Your acting like I know." Denied James .
" Correct me if I am wrong. It was your mother's complex before you killed her for it. You of all people should know all that lived there should you not? Random bodies don't get dragged to an random complex and burry themselves." He said now hands on the table in question.
" They could. You know they can drag themselves over there and burry themselves. It's like a mud bath in one of them fancy spas people waste there money on to be covered in wet dirt. I would believe it Stranger things have happened . have you ever seen that tv show where weird unexplained things happen all the time. X files . That's the name great show . Very interesting ."sassed James trying to divert the conversation not taking the situation seriously.
" Don't give me no smart mouth remarks, James. I know you know who is in the garden . How I know that is many years of intuition. And my instincts are always spot on. " He said aggervated.
" Does intuition win cases or proof. As I remembered we are innocent until proven guilty not the other way around ?" Retorted James now becoming amused by how he was getting under Timothy's skin.
" For all I care they can fry you until your eyes pop out of your head . It takes a special kind of man to kill his own mother and think he would walk away free." Yelled Timothy.
" Look Tim can I call you Tim. The way I see it. Your my lawyer. You work for me. Your job is to get me free or immulate you are trying to set me free. For Appearances sake and all. So I think you might need to work on my defence unless I was mistaken you for the opposing prosecutor." Said James playing with his councilor like a ball watching him bounce .
" Technically I don't work for you. I work for the state since I am a legal appointed aide. I still can refuse this case at my moral discretion. Before you get all cocky and monologueing over there know the facts. I serve the law first." Retorted Timothy.
" And no you can't call me Tim. My name is Timothy or Mr. Vaughn to you. If you can't call me those two names than don't call me at all." Concluded Timothy.
" It's simple. Get me Regina and I'll sing any tune you want to hear. That's what the last Lawyer did." Negotiated James as he visualize in his head how he would play with Regina as he smiled fondly.
" I'm not the last lawyer. If she doesn't have a legal degree or a badge she isn't stepping foot in this case." Barked Timothy.
" Then I guess I don't know who the woman is buried in the garden at my complex." Replied James as the wheels in his head turned.
" Was your complex. It's not yours anymore. It's a one Bethany Grigori " Reminded Timothy as he flipped to the page of the file for her name .
" That is my complex not hers. She stole it and burned it down out of spite. That evil knivinving goodie two shoes perfect little tenant wench took what was properly mine by birth ." Yelled James . Now upset as his nostrils flared thinking of Bethany and where he was because of her
" I see Bethany is a sore spot for you waiting to be pressed. You hate your mother loved her and gave her the complex don't you. Her own son overlooked by one tenant ." Said Timothy knowing he was rubbing salt in an open wound.
James temper flaired as he jumped towards Timothy and he grabbed the cuffs and pulled them over James head and held it behind above his head like a puppet on a string . He kicked the soft spot on the back of James knees as he buckled to the kneeling position on the ground.
" It seems you don't learn your lesson. Instead of them calling you unhinged Barry it should be predictable Barry. Because I see you only have two moves." Timothy hissed in his ears.
" Let go of me. You have no right to put your hands on me." He protested.
" Once again it only applies to you when you attack someone else . It's rather one sided if I may say . We need to stop meeting like this I'm starting to think you got a crush on me. " Said Timothy as he mimiced kissing noises in James ear.
" Man I'm not into dudes . Get the hell off of me This is harassment. I can have you fired for this" He said struggling. As Timothy made him feel intimidated by his ability to put him in his place with ease. He didn't like being made to being submissive.
" Well if you keep messing with me that's the only sound you will be hearing . So meet me half way without all the smart mouth comments . You know how to push my buttons but I also know how to push yours . So you talk or I see us meeting like this again in the very near future. Because you are predictable Barry ." He said releasing him as James skirted across the floor. Like a kid falling at the playground stumbling to not hit his face on the ground.
James was pride hurt and furious now he truly hated this man with a fire. His humiliation was heavy and he vowed if he got out . This man would be the first one he would murder. He didn't like being talked to like that. He didn't like being man handled like that. James knew what the pin was like and didn't need to be reminded of his five years he did when he was eighteen.
James stammered to stand up awkwardly from the ground as he moved cautiously around Timothy kicking the chair to manuver it so he can sit down in the chairas his red faced displayed his embarrassment .He got bested again by this middle age man. He didn't like being man handled at all.
" Fine. Jessica Barry ." He admitted.
" Like as in your runaway bride , Jessica Barry?" Confirmed Timothy. His face still red in frustration from the struggle earlier.
" Yes. " Spitted James in defeat
James remember the night he overheard his father and Jessica talking. It had been only four months after he was released and the whispered in the hallway. It wasn't a father-in law to a daughter-in law hushed talk either. James suspected something was going on since he never approved of anything James did little less whom he dated.
She used to always say they were married in their hearts and as soon as she came home she was desperate to consimate their relationship. She had moved into his parents complex and was all slumming it with his dad . He thought she would be long gone after the rush of her chasing a incarcerated man died down. He knew woman getting kicks from men behind bars and yes he admitted he saw she had potential. She reminded me him of the one that got away . The victim that never was.
When she fell pregnant two months later his dad made him marry her since he was under the assumption they were already married. Seven months later a baby was born . Premature as Jessica claimed as he looked at the blonde hair baby . His father had blonde hair green eyes and his sister Gurty had blonde hair green eyes . His mother had brown hair like James.
James was always suspicious about Amelia's early healthy birth. But their secret meetings didn't help to ease James mind. When Amelia died he figured it out. It clicked in his head Jessica's deception. Mr. Barry knew what happened to the baby because James told him in complete detail of his depravity. Then suddenly his father's death . He couldn't let his mother know what they did. What they were hiding. He convinced himself he did it for his mother. He thought as he was in his own thoughts about his history with Jessica. He smiled a little as he remembered .
" Ok who else? I need to know everything before the defense has a chance to open up a bunch of files on your past." Said Timothy still standing as he glared at James.
" How far do you want to go back man?" Complained James.
" Well how far back did it start?" He quizzed .
" Shit man. Before I started kissing girls I suppose." He confessed.
Timothy felt like James was jerking his chain. Like James was a compulsive liar and he said and did things to be doing them. This was twice James tried to swing on him and acted like he was the victim in a situation. James only played the dumb brute . This man was clever and he liked to play with his prey.
Timothy thought there is a reason he keep requesting Regina . And if wasn't because he liked her company. He remembers being assigned to the case where the circumstances of her husbands death. That was involved with a known lawyer to him. He gave Roger a release because of old ties . But now she is being requested by a man wanted for murder and he just admitted killing and burying his wife in a garden behind the complex that he killed his mother over.
What games did he honestly think he was playing with him. This man wanted to be set free. So he can kill more woman. Right now Timothy could think straight after their little tussle. He had to calm down before he dealt with this prick. Before he ended up behind bars himself.
" Look James we will do this another time. If your not willing to help me understand instead of making up shit you think I want to hear. Just have your story ready before the next briefing session. Now all this came into light during an investigation of the complex and now another body tied to you. I'll talk to the judge to postpone for a few days so we can work on our defense. But you have to be completely honest with me and no bull crap you understand." Snipped Timothy.
Not like he believed what James had to say. He knew James types he liked to twist stories and lies to get a rise all the while he finds it as entertainment watching people step out of character.
James was hiding something and Timothy was fed up with this little dance. From day one this client was testing his gangster. He had be cautious not to actually swing on James. He knew men like this get the lawyer to swing on them and be fired and reassigned another lawyer all the while the lawyers reputation ruined as a hot head lawyer.
Roger owed him big time for handing him this case after the reports Christopher left on how to handle this client like customer care instructions. This client was calculating and cold. There was no remorse in his words or actions. It was like he had no feelings at all like his normal sense of humanity was dead inside. He was nothing but an empty shell of hate and death.
He gathered he had issues with women and he rather pick on the weaker sex than a full grown man that could handle him. He jumped at Mrs.Molusky and the missing link was his mother. She was not his normal . James had no one. No mother. No father. No wife . No child. So what did he have to lose by self incriminating himself by these confessions unless he was seeking infamous reputation.
But he was also cunning. He couldn't put his finger on this client other than he was dangerous. And he didn't like him. It was obvious him and James did not get along. Hell they barely tolerated each other. The time of their briefing was like a constant battle of wills.
" What do you mean you don't believe me?" Said James toying with him now amused how his lawyer was getting aggravated with him over his vague answers.it was like playing with a toy.
" James I am really trying here. Please help me help you. I can't do my job if you won't give me anything to work with." Said Timothy in frustration.
" Like I said I've been doing this before kissing age. My first victim was beautiful . She has golden hair she wore in perfect bows. She was very high spirited and all I wanted was acceptance . I wanted her to be my friend but she did not want my friendship. " He said gaging Timothy's face.
" Go on." He said not sure to hold him credible about this information. As he took any confession James admitted with a grain of salt.
" Then there was Gurty . She wasn't supposed to live past the wreck. It took me a long time to get her to trust me enough to pull that one off. When she went in a comma it was the worst two years of my life. I remember my parents coming to visiting hours when I was doing time upstate constantly reminding me they had to visit her in the hospital and money was low to put anything on my books." He said like he was talking about a casual conversation.
" Gurty as in your sister?" Confirmed Timothy.
" The one and the same. Daddy's little golden ray of sunshine." Smiled James in memory of her demise.
" Is that all?" Questiones Timothy. Now annoying thinking James was leading him down a wild goose chase .
" I'm far from done. To be honest . It's not like I like killing it is just something I do when I don't have something to distract my mind. I'm pretty sure you read my file and my two turns in rehab in the past five years . Sometimes when I take the edge off it makes the urge a little less than normal. " Confessed James .
" So drugs and alcohol makes the voices in your head stop the urges to hurt people." Timothy said in disbelief.
" That exactly what I am saying. So maybe you can do a run for me. Help me out here. You know before I make it on the chopping block." Suggested James .
Timothy was now fed up with the waste of time that was in front of him. He didn't like playing games ,and James was treating this case just like that. As a game. He sucked on his teeth in disappointment and banged on the door to signal he was done.
" Take him. I'm done with him today.ill be back and I do expect you to take it more seriously. Time is money and your wasting both of them at the moment." Said Timothy as he walked out of the room overwhelmed by the conversation with James.
The officers took him to a single holding cell as James was prone to anger spouts . Sitting in the holding cell next to him was Bobby- Joe. He sat on the worn bench as he looked down at his feet. His fuzzy pink slippers. Feeling the humiliation of walking around with women's slippers in a room full of men. His combover had came off and a partially bald head . He rubbed his head as he realized he was in some deep shit.
Bobby- Joe watched as he saw his nephew in the cell beside him as he tried too be on the opposite side of the cell. He wondered if James remembered him. Because he sure remembered James. He watched seeing the monster he remembered him to be. This was the man that killed his sister Norma -jean. That was cold hearted to kill ones family. Norma-Jean was a pain in the butt . She didn't deserve to die by her own sons hands. That's is like being in a circle of hell knowing your son you gave life to was the reason you lost your life.
It was twisted how things worked out as he studied James from afar. He knew his nephew was dangerous. But now he was here . Bobby -Joe sank into the shadows of the room staying out of view all the while keeping his eyes on James .